Proverbs 3:1-8, 11-14
“My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust int he Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil, 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. 13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.”

We need to have love and faithfulness. Both these characteristics have action and attitude attached to them. We must not only believe the truth of God’s word, but we must act on it daily. We need to do those things that please the Lord, we need to love one another and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, help those in need without desiring a pat on the back or some sort of compensation. We do all we do “as unto the Lord.” We can have an attitude of love and faithfulness, but our actions do not line up with it. Both go hand in hand, when someone is with you, do they see both of these characteristics working together in attitude and action? If not, you need to ask yourself why and ask God how to remedy the situation. In these difficult days, we find ourselves in these to things should be evident in our lives toward our own families and anyone else God sends our way.

When we lean in to something it implies our entire weight has been put on it. We are resting and trusting in whatever it is to hold us up. Often times especially in difficult ones we often feel there is no one to lean on or trust, sometimes we feel that way about God. What is he up to? Does he really care about me? Can he truly help me? Why is he so quiet? God already knows how you feel and he understands our human hearts and how fickle they can be especially when being tried or disciplined. He has a great track record of faithfulness. He who created it all including your heart knows better than we, just what we need. We need to use our brains that God gifted us with to make good decisions and these decisions need to be covered in prayer. A good example: “STAY HOME!” Unless you need to get essentials, do not gather with anyone other than those you are already sheltering with. Our government has given us guidelines to keep us safe and I believe those guidelines are what God impressed upon them to give. God is in charge of it all, not man.
Any decision they make is filtered through our loving Father’s hands. I dare say for our good and his glory.

We need to stop thinking “we know best!” We do not know everything. We get conflicting information constantly. Ask God to give you wisdom. First to fully know and understand his word and then to know how we ought to behave and act in times like these. If you ask, he will answer. He will take that brain that he formed and let it fire in all the right ways to give you the right answer. He can do that you know!

Maybe God has sent this or allowed it for our good. As his children, we need to be disciplined, not because he wants to harm us, but because he loves us. Our behavior and attention have gone to all the wrong things. We have set up idols in our lives, things we put before him. God is teaching us and training us. His love compels him to oftentimes discipline his children, just like we as parents have to discipline ours when we see they are on a wrong path or their behavior dictates it. Unlike some people all of God’s discipline comes from a loving Father, he gives just the right amount. If he did not love us, we would be in big trouble! He delights in his children and preparing you for heaven is His business.

Scriptures tell us of the importance of wisdom and understanding. She is more profitable than silver or gold. We need God’s wisdom to live these days. We need God’s wisdom to understand the scriptures, to know how to pray, how to answer man. We need to let wisdom dictate our actions rather than our emotional hearts and minds. After all, scripture tells us our hearts are deceitful above all else. Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick, who can understand it?” Our hearts are an obstacle to overcome. We cannot trust our “hearts” to make the right decision, but we can trust God’s word to guide us into the right decisions and actions. When we read it and ask for understanding, wisdom will flood your soul.

There is NEVER a time when God is not in control, NEVER! He is SOVEREIGN over it all. Seek his counsel and you may find that obeying man’s laws is not so hard when you know the one telling them what to do! I strive to know him. I read and pray to know he who died for me. I want to live a life worthy, not because my actions get me into heaven, but because God tells me to love, forgive, give, obey and so much more. I want to live my life to please HIM, no one else. I want to see his face one day whether he takes me in death or returns to take his own. I want to see Jesus, I want to be his hands and feet on this earth. I want to be obedient to do and say those things he tells me to. I want my actions and my attitudes to match. I want God’s blessings in my life…I want more of Him and less of me. Do you?

Our Pastor always gives us this advice and it is solid. Read and pray, pray and read, repeat. Since you are stuck at home, today would be a great day to start!